Federal Councillor Schneider-Ammann welcomes the Director General of the European Space Agency ESA
Bern, 26.04.2013 - Federal Councillor Johann N. Schneider-Ammann today met with Mr Jean-Jacques Dordain, the Director General of the European Space Agency ESA. They discussed the future of Switzerland’s collaboration within the ESA. The head of the Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research stressed the importance for Switzerland of this cooperation and its desire to continue to work together. Following the discussions, the two men visited a company in canton Vaud active in the aerospace sector and the Observatory of the University of Geneva.
During the meeting with Mr Dordain, which took place in Aigle in canton Vaud, Federal Councillor Johann Schneider-Ammann stressed the great importance that Switzerland places on an active cooperation with the ESA and expressed his satisfaction with the excellent collaboration with the Swiss Space Office. In particular, he explained that Switzerland wished to maintain a visible role in the development and operation of launchers (Ariane) and to consolidate the position of Swiss actors by offering services and expertise in the agency’s priority fields. The head of the Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research also expressed an interest in the role that the ESA could play in promoting and intensifying the development of activities related to space affairs in Switzerland.
After their discussions, the two men paid a visit to APCO Technologies based in Aigle, which has been active in the field of space technology since 1992. The company specialises in the manufacture of mechanical ground support equipment (MGSE) for launchers and satellites as well as scientific instruments, and has recently begun to manufacture flight structures on behalf of the ESA, but also commercially. APCO Technologies was chosen from among the many companies active in space technology because it exemplifies the benefits of Swiss participation in the activities of the European Space Agency.
Federal Councillor Schneider-Ammann and the ESA Director General also visited the Observatory of the University of Geneva. The Observatory is known for its discovery of the first exoplanet in 1995 (planet outside the solar system). Collaboration between this leading university institute and the ESA dates back to the early days of Europe’s activities in the space field and continues to this day by providing instruments for ESA missions and exploiting scientific data. The Observatory should therefore play an important role in the first ESA mission to be led by Switzerland (University of Bern), known as CHEOPS, which aims to characterise exoplanets.
Switzerland is one of the 10 founding member states of the ESA, created in 1975. The Agency currently has 20 member states. The ESA’s programmes stimulate innovation and therefore serve to boost growth and employment. According to OECD studies1, every euro invested generates an economic return of around 5 euros, not including indirect effects. Almost 85% of the ESA’s total budget of around CHF 4.8 billion benefits businesses and research institutions in the member states through calls for tender which stimulate competitiveness in the sector.
[1] OECD (2011), The Space Economy at a Glance 2011, OECD Publishing, p. 77ss.
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